The only Thing I've lost
by alexvt
Summary: Sakura has finally succumbed to Naruto's entreaties and now everything is perfect. Or is it? And how about Sasuke and Hinata? How will they take the situation? Sorry for my bad English ...


**THE ONLY THING I'VE LOST...**

**The patience ...**

"Sorry, I think I haven't got it right ... "

"I said that Naruto is an idiot, which is maddening, suffocating and I don't stand him anymore!"

"I did not mean that ... "

"Sasuke?! He's even worse, I can not stand him anymore too. That in spite of everything I've done for him, yet does nothing but repeat that I'm boring and I have to leave him alone!"

"Not even this ... "

"That today Naruto asked me for the millionth time to be his girlfriend?"

"No, what happened after that... "

"What ... that ... here ... I told him yes ... " Sakura's voice had become suddenly a whisper, while her friend's one...

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! "

... No, Ino's definitely not.

"Ino! Are you crazy!" Sakura had thrown a dead weight over her friends trying to cover her mouth with both hands, while all the clients of the pub had turned toward them.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing at all ... is that ..." While Sakura was trying to find an excuse for their curious friends who had now approached, Ino beneath her broke free just a moment before she would die for lack of air.

"Hey! Forehead, you want to kill me?! Watch that so soon everyone will know that ... "

Sakura was address a death glare to her friend in order to silence the blonde, when suddenly two arms wrapped around her shoulders and two lips came into contact with her, right in the middle of all the group who with bulging eyes was watching the scene astonished.

"Hello darling!"

Naruto had just entered the room and had reached the new girlfriend greeted her as she had always wanted to do and thinking that with that entry stage could avoid giving too much explanation.

Deluded ...

"WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!?"

In front of their eyes-wide-open-friends he said so simply: "Sakura and I now are together. She hasn't said to you yet?"

**The hope ...**

How long did he was walking now?

Ok, "walking" maybe was not the most appropriate term ... "Marching" perhaps, "marching" would be more appropriate, yes ...

Since he came out the local, only God know how many miles he had tread up and down throughout Konoha.

He did not know how, but all of a sudden the air was unbreathable; then, between the laughs he thought he heard a strangled sob and a strange note in her voice as the Yamanaka hugged her friend; he seemed to see a shadow slip behind him and to take a strange grin on the Aburame's impenetrable face. He was sure then that he heard the Inuzuka called idiot the dobe and Nara muttering that "this thing will be a mess". He was also certain that he saw the door slam behind the fleabag and saw the glass in his hand filled with an amber liquid. From then on, he does not remember much, if not all that walking ...

At some point he got stuck, he had seemed to revise a familiar shadow, no, in fact, he was sure ...

Shadow tiny and silent, crouching in front of a pond while looking at the moon.

He seems to hear the sobs, indeed, no, this time it's sure, it's crying.

He then approached to observe it better: the Hyuga. After all, he knew.

He felt a bit sorry for her ...

However, the world is this. She must make sense of it. This will make her become stronger.

He was about to leave. He was sure that there was at least one road in the village that he has no path, but he didn't know why, there was something that holds him there. So he decided to stop, approaching silently and sits down beside her.

As soon as she realized his presence, she jumps scared. "Sas .. Sasu ... ke-kun ..."

"Excellent performance for a carrier of the Byakugan ... " says dropping beside her. In the very moment she remembered that she have probably the face contorted with tears. While toiling to try to hide her flushed eyes, she realizes that he does not seem to be interest in it; He noded to let they drop, starting to observe the full moon which is reflecting into the small lake.

Hinata, after the first shock, remained a few seconds observing the perfect profile of the boy next to her. She is used to _observe_; She has spent her whole life watching others from the background; she can recognize every little facial expression and, immediately, she recognized the muscles under the the young man white cheeks, his jaw slightly contracted, his eyes narrowed.

She understood.

She sighed and looked back at the sky in silence.

Sasuke every now and then launches a glance to the girl next to him, she stopped sobbing, despite her tears continue to scroll down the ivory face. In her extraordinary violet eyes the moon was reflected completely, creating a strange effect which attracts his attention.

Only when a rebellious lock, moved perhaps by the gentle breeze that began to rise, leaving her shoulder to drop in front of her face he seems to wake up from the spell that had taken him, and with an almost imperceptible movement of the head he brough back his attention to the sky full of stars in that summer night.

Hinata and Sasuke were there in silence for who knows how long, each with its own thoughts, each occupied with the feelings that were stirred up within, each committed to vent it in the only way they knows:

The sadness of Hinata, Sasuke's anger.

**The certainties ...**

Days pass, the more the relationship between Naruto and Sakura becomes noisier the more Sasuke and Hinata are approaching.

Their was a slight movement, even they didn't realize it.

But Sakura was the first to notice it, while she tries to ignore the courtesy phrases they exchanged.

Then there are Kiba and Shino to notice them walking in pairs and as a group they made their way to the Hokage's palace;

Then it was the turn of 10 team to notice them always next to each other while listening the chatter of the party in the evening from Teuchi.

Eventually even Neji, Tenten and Lee notice of the attention unconsciously the begin to share.

When she brings him a bag of tomatoes grown in the gardens of Hyuga House, Sakura felt tears up in her eyes.

When he gently rests a hand on her back while checking that no one steps through a crowded street, Neji reserves he a death glare.

When he by chance pop up out of team eight training camp at coming home hour, Kiba stretches the road because he suddenly remembered a commitment right next to Hyuga district.

When she smiles at him after hearing him mutter something, it is team Ten turn to exchange aware glances and sighing.

**The peace ...**

It 'been over a month now, and despite the cheerful air that you breathe in the group of friends of Konoha, a general discomfort strip unconscious all minds.

It all seems so perfect:

Naruto and Sakura are a cyclone, laugh, argue, have fun.

Sasuke and Hinata now for most of them have a fixed couple.

When she smiles at him after hearing him mutter something, it's now only Ino who sighed.

When he by chance pop up out team eight training camp at coming home hour, Kiba has now run out of excuses to escort them.

When he gently rests a hand on her back while checking that no one steps through a crowded street, Neji think that after all, perhaps, he is better than the other idiot.

When she brings him a bag of tomatoes grown in the gardens of Hyuga House, Sakura still feels up them tears into her eyes.

They are beautiful and perfect.

Even the haughty members of the Hyuga clan, do not dare to criticize the relationship between the two, silenced by the icy, menacing and, if possible, even more pompous, glares of the Uchiha heir.

The girls sigh dreaming while they see them pass in front of the academy courtyard.

The ladies in the markets greet them smiling as they glide elegantly from one stall to another.

The guard whisper (because it is always the former nukenin you're talking about) jokes and appreciation while always side by side they walk through the doors of the Hokage building.

**...nevertheless...**

Sakura is increasingly intolerant of the failure and the jokes of her boyfriend.

Naruto finds himself more and more often to search for someone that no longer exists, he feels the presence of a vacuum around him, a vacuum he isn't able to fill. Damn! It has everything he want for his life and yet he feel to have lost something ... but for all the efforts he make he dosen't understand what is gone wrong ...

Sasuke is comfortable with that girl so sweet and quiet, but nevertheless can not help but be invaded by a river of anger while Naruto hugs Sakura, and kisses her, while he holds her hand ... He is distracted, he have to leave ...

Hinata sees it, understands it, knows that Sasuke feels bad. Despite his indifference look, she can't avoid to note his anger, his despair, because she feels the same; but she, after all, is used to it. Naruto has never looked at her; he never noticed her, nor loved her... While for Sasuke is different: he has had his chance, he threw it away and now he is blaming himself...

So she follow him as he walks away; she rests a hand on his shoulder and when he turns to look at her with those eyes full of anger, she smiles at him with her smile so sweet, but also so sad and so typical of her. In that very moment all the anger flies away and surprisingly the young man finds himself to smile her back.

As has become customary to Sakura -wrong, she know, terribly wrong- after kissing Naruto in public, she search the onyx eyes of her first love and sees the scene between the two. Sasuke is smiling and a sudden wave of envy and sadness captures her.

That smile is so rare, so special and so long ago it was just for her ...

Even Naruto once again tastes that feeling of emptiness, and all of a sudden has finally the enlightenment of what he was looking for: why Hinata is not looking in his direction, but she's smiling at Sasuke?

It 's normal after all, they are together, why should she has to look at him and not at her boyfriend?!

But why suddenly it hurts so much?!

And finally Naruto realizes it:

when she brings him a bag of tomatoes grown in the gardens of Hyuga House, Naruto would they be for him.

When he gently rests a hand on her back while checking that no one steps through a crowded street, Naruto distracted crashes into a pedestrian.

When he by chance pop up out team eight training camp at coming home hour, Naruto suggest Kiba a great restaurant right in the heart Hyuga district.

When she smiles at him after hearing him mumble something, is Naruto the one who sighes.

Sakura is beautiful, gorgeus, smart, funny, a force of nature but she is different ..she is ... a sister, a friend ...

Naruto now had his second illumination.

Perhaps it is ready for the third.

And there it is waiting for him:

while she brings him a bag of tomatoes grown in the gardens of Hyuga House, Naruto has a sudden hunger for tomatoes and pulls the bag from his friend.

When he gently rests a hand on her back while checking that no one steps through a crowded street, Naruto realizes that he has a strong desire to punches him.

When he by chance pop up out team eight training camp at coming home hour, Naruto realizes he has committed himself right next to Hyuga House.

When she smiles at him after hearing him mutter something, is Naruto who feel the anger seething in his veins.

That smile so sweet, so special, so long ago was just for him ...

And so he found himself once more sighing, sitting on a bench next to his girlfriend, staring both with the same disconsolate look, the queue at a kiosk where the couple is chatting cheerful waiting for their turn to buy some sweets.

"Hinata with him doesn't stutter" Note Naruto.

"And Sasuke smiles" meets Sakura.

"And she blushes. Have you seen how much is cute when she blushes, at least without passing out?" Continue the young.

"Yeah. But nothing will ever fascinating as the smile of Sasuke" Concludes the girl.

"Anyways, 'you are part of, we all know!" It warms him.

"Listen to him!"

"For me this is the most beautiful expression of Hinata at this time, look at how sweet are eyes and her shy smile, and how she thanked the clerk! Compare to her look at what a cantankerous jerk the teme is!"

"For your information now Sasuke is much, much more polite and definitely less grumpy than bef ..." The girl hangs as defective. What are they doing?

Even Naruto has a moment of clarity.

"Oh, dear!" Both begin to mumble "So ... you too? ... and me ... O gosh!"

They look in each others eyes and in a moment they understood everything.

They were two idiots, two complete idiots.

Now what?!

**The Love ...**

Naruto leaves heavily down the glass on the counter in front of the curious glances of his friends:

"I brook out with Sakura" he announced.

"Do she understand that you're an idiot?" Asks Kiba before order another drink.

"I figured it out ..." Keep his head sadly.

"What the hell have you done?" Calls Lee worried.

"Nothing" And another sip the hot liquid runs down his throat.

"On then she'll forgive you" Lee tries to console him.

"For me it looks good on you!" Things worse the Inuzuka."You're just an idiot, I seemed to said it already, but as usual you're slow on the uptake."

"Take it easy, Kiba, don't you see in what state is it?!" Lee intrudes, looking for insight into the present, but they seem to agree with the member of team eight.

"He deserved it, he knew that Sakura didn't love him. He didn't want to see reality. Now it is right that he's bad." Shikamaru gives voice to the thoughts of all.

"Yes, I did. I was deceived and I was a fool. But the thing that makes me feel even worse is..."

"My cousin?" Neji's voice was tinged with a tone of accusation not too veiled.

Naruto lowered his head sadly. He no longer has the strength to respond ...

"It 's too late ... I lost her, now ..."

"Because you're an idiot! A huge idiot, a colossal idiot!" Kiba yells beside himself.

"You took notice at the end, eh?

It's about time that you find out how beautiful, pleasing, good and perfect she is!

It's about time that you find out how blind, stupid, idiot and lucky you are!

You know what I would want to tell you: Well 'now you have lost! Get over it, drained another round of sake and stay here with us looser leaving her to be finally free and happy.

But look a bit 'what I have to tell you ... I have to tell you that this is not all lost, you're a bastard too lucky for what you deserve, that although I hate to admit it she won't be as happy with him than it would be with you. So turn up the ass from that stool and go to return her immediately!"

And with a push he found himself out of tha smoky pub, bathed in the light of the afternoon sun.

Meanwhile on the other side of the village.

"I am a fool I should never give in to the insistence of Naruto, I had to know!

I waited so long for Sasuke and then a fit of anger I'll threw it all up!"

"Then 'So go and take it back!"

"Yeah right! I have already ruined once Hinata's life... You know what? I'll steal her the boy again within a month and a half. A record!

But to whom do you take me!?"

" ..."

"... I was a bitch! A fool, an idiot, a poor, a desperate, but I'm not so bitchy ..."

"Stop saying foolish things, Hinata does not like Sasuke, she never loved him and never will love him as you ever love him, or how much she still loves Naruto. You made a mistake, peace, now is the time to fix the things right. So now, wipe those tears, get out of here and never come back without a leash Sasuke, ok!?"

"But Ino!"

"Nothing, "but," I said out of the way!"

_Sasuke and Sakura_

And here she comes Sakura.

She ran, you see,

She cried, you see that too.

And Hinata knows why she is there, She is waiting for her. Beside Hinata, Sasuke stops. They're right in the middle of the street when Sakura stops a few steps away from them and tries to catch her breath.

Sasuke instead stopped breathing, Hinata realizes it and turns to him. She smiles as he stares a little 'guilty.

"Take care" She whispers as she walks away from him.

Passing her Sakura looks up looking her friend.

"Hinata" firm ...

"Don't worry" the reassuring smiles "I knew that you had never stopped loving Sasuke ..." whispers, as he can not hear, "it's okay."

"But you! I ... I ... I'm sorry ..."

The brunette shakes his head. "I'm stronger than what it seems ... and then ... " she confesses "... I never stopped loving Naruto ..."

"Forgive me ..." she wants to tell Sakura anyway.

"Sure" Concludes squeezing a hand. "Good luck"

_Hinata and Naruto_

Hinata's happy now, despite everything. At least one thing is going to the right place!

She smiles satisfied, while slowly moving towards home. For her, it doesn't matter, after all, as always, she should be used to it by now, or not? She nodded, knowing full well that no, she will never get used to it. Maybe with the exercise ...

Suddenly she hears a voice; she recognized immediately; she could recognize it among thousands!

And if he was looking for Sakura!?

And if he see her with Sasuke?!

What did she had to do?!

A wave of panic passed through her, just as he stopped his run at her feet.

"Hinata!" Scans his name, as he tries to catch his breath after the long run.

"Y ... yes!?" Why she still can't stop stuttering in front of him!?

"Anh...anfh.."

"If you are looking for Sakura ..."

"No, not Sakura, no more Sakura" He's the urge to clarify "Just you. I was looking for you!"

"M ... me?"

"Yes you!" He smiles a smile so bright, confident and sincere; a smile that Hinata had not seen for a long time, a smile that perhaps was never been just for her ... Maybe that he?!

"I have to tell you something! I'm an idiot! and ... "


End file.
